U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet www.cops.usdoj.gov

October 2019

2019 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program

The COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program 

(SVPP) is a competitive award program designed to provide funding to improve security at schools and on school 

grounds in the grantee’s jurisdiction through evidence-based 

school safety programs.

Background

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS Office) has long demonstrated a commitment to 

school safety and to ensuring student success in supportive, 

safe environments. The COPS Office invested more than 

$900 million in American schools through previous grant 

programs such as Secure Our Schools, COPS in Schools, 

School-Based Partnerships, and the Safe School Initiative. 

Up to $33 million in SVPP funding was available in FY 

2019 to provide states, units of local government, Indian 

tribes, and (beginning in FY 2019) public agencies the 

opportunity to establish and enhance a variety of school 

safety equipment and programs to encourage the continuation and enhancement of school safety efforts to prevent 

violence in their communities.

Funding provisions

The COPS Office SVPP provides funding directly to states, 

units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies to be used to improve security at schools and on school 

grounds in the grantees’ jurisdictions through evidencebased school safety programs that may include one or more 

of the following:

Coordination with local law enforcement

Training for local law enforcement officers to prevent 

school violence against others and self

Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and 

other deterrent measures

Acquisition and installation of technology for expedited 

notification of local law enforcement during an emergency

Any other measure that, in the determination of the 

director of the COPS Office, may provide a significant 

improvement in security

Applicants were required to submit a project description 

and a budget narrative. The project description must have 

addressed the following elements: current school safety and 

planning efforts, funding request and integration, management and implementation plan, and sustainability plan. The 

budget narrative must have detailed how the requested items 

would be used in implementing the proposed SVPP project.

2019 Highlights

There were 598 applications received from jurisdictions in 

49 states.

There were 103 awards made to states, counties, cities, 

school districts, and tribes totaling $32,499,998.

45 percent of awards went to rural jurisdictions, 22 

percent to suburban jurisdictions, 32 percent to urban 

jurisdictions, and 1 percent to states.

More than 6,000 schools and nearly four million students 

will benefit from the funded projects.

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about the COPS Office 

School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP), 

please call the COPS Office Response Center at 

800-421-6770 or visit the COPS Office website at 

www.cops.usdoj.gov.
October 2019

Application Statistics

Applications received 598

States represented 49

Average federal request $271,193

Award Statistics

Number of awards 103

States represented 42

Average award amount $315,533

Award Impacts and Demographics*

Schools impacted 6,084

Students impacted 3,969,150

Percent rural 45

Percent suburban 32

Percent urban 22

Percent state 1

* As reported by applicants

Most common elements of awarded projects 

(as a percentage of all awards that include the element)†

All jurisdiction types

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

0 10 20 30 40 50

2

2019 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

0 10 20 30 40 50

Urban jurisdictions

† The sum of all percentages exceeds 100 because applicants often included multiple elements in their project.
2019 COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program

Suburban jurisdictions

0 10 20 30 40 50

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Rural jurisdictions

Training for law enforcement (active shooter, etc.)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

October 2019